Clarence Kennedy is an Olympic weightlifter, Irish national record holder, and YouTuber living in Tralee, Ireland. At just 26 years old and around 220 lb (100 kg), he manages to lift 750 lb (340 kg) off the floor and throw 413 lb (187.5 kg) overhead with ease. He also achieved these feats of superhuman strength on a strictly vegan diet.
Clarence rose to prominence for the herculean feats of strength he broadcasts on his YouTube channel, quickly amassing over 150k subscribers. In 2016 he shocked the fitness world by revealing that his incredible strength was founded on a vegan diet. When asked, he cites ethical and environmental reasons for his eating choices.
“In fact, Clarence explained that the reason he changed his diet was completely separate to his training. Even if he saw a decrease in performance, it would be worth it due to the benefits a plant-based diet has on the environment. The logical choice and a noble act.” Noted Tyson Edwards, Clarence’s friend and occasional training partner.
Training History & Injuries
It was in high school that Clarence discovered his love for the weight room. He had previously been tricking and started lifting weights to help with that. Being a skinny kid who could barely lift any weight at all, he quickly gained strength and got addicted to the gym.
After a few years he began lifting weights twice a day, every day, for several grueling hours a session. This led to overtraining, insomnia, shoulder and elbow tendonitis, and injuries to both knees that required corrective surgery. But Clarence didn’t quit there.
After over half a year recovering, he rethought his training and diet. While doing research on different types of eating, he ran across the Unnatural Vegan’s channel, where his interest in veganism rapidly grew.
Becoming Vegan
Clarence started off slowly removing animal products from his diet over a several month period before switching over to the vegan diet. On supplements, he says his diet provides all the macro and micronutrients he needs to continue being healthy and making progress in the gym. However, just to be safe, he takes a vitamin B12, D3, and DHA supplement every day. His no-nonsense approach to veganism just might inspire anyone who’s still on the fence: “I just learned that there was no good argument against veganism…I even tried to find a good argument against it and I just couldn’t find one,” he explained.
Next time you hear people whining that being vegan makes them weak, show them one of Clarence’s lifts—what more is there to say?
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Photo: Clarence Kennedy via YouTube
